


Happy birthday, Yamagata-senpai!!

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Goshiki loves him too, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYATO, I love him, It's Hayato's Birthday!!, M/M, Pining, Shirabu's suffering, Shiratorizawa, Tendou too, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i love them, it's just fluff, lots of pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22703047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “Do you know which day is coming up? February 14th~, future ace. February 14th!” Tendou whispers.Goshiki blushes even more furiously. “Valentine’s Day?!”“No!” Tendou sighs, pauses. “I mean. Yes. But asides from that, it’s Hayato-kun’s birthday.”In which Tendou tries to help Goshiki and Hayato to get together, and gets nothing but suffering in return. They're painfully oblivious.
Relationships: Goshiki Tsutomu/Yamagata Hayato
Kudos: 42





	Happy birthday, Yamagata-senpai!!

Everyone in Shiratorizawa VBC knows that Yamagata Hayato is a complete and utter mess when it comes to losing his phone.

Not a day goes by without him searching for it at least twice. If you see him looking for something, there’s no need to ask what that might be.

It’s his phone.

It’s always his phone.

“Man.” Tendou sighs as he watches Hayato searching it for the nth time on a day in early February. They just finished training for today. One by one, they get ready to take a shower and head off to their dorms. Except for Yamagata, who’s desperately searching through his sports bag.

“How come he’s such a mess when it comes to his phone? I don’t get it.”

Goshiki, who is chugging down water right beside him, blinks in confusion. He puts down his water bottle and says, “I thought it was like that with other things, too. Does Yamagata-senpai only ever lose his phone?”

That’s news to him. Throughout the majority of his first year so far, he thought losing his belongings was the only weakness to his senpai.

After all, Yamagata is the senpai he admires and trusts the most. Knowing his presence right behind himself on court makes Goshiki feel safe. The warm feeling bubbling up in his stomach whenever Yamagata-senpai saves one of their opponent’s spikes he misses, giving him his trademark grin, is something he cherishes.

It’s his little secret, though. Or, mostly a secret.

He once mentioned it towards Shirabu – he’s _only_ a second year, which almost puts them on the same level, Goshiki assumes – who shot him a disgusted look, grunting that he wasn’t paid enough to handle this mess.

Goshiki doesn’t get it. They weren’t paid for playing at all, so why would Shirabu –

“Nah,” Tendou retorts, “only his phone. Since he’s sharing his room with Reon, the poor guy is his phone detector #1.”

They watch in silence, as their teammate rummages through his bag, frustration clear on his face.

Goshiki should help him searching. But – what if he thinks his kouhai is being rude? After all, Yamagata is older and wiser than him. He’s the only one who ever looks out for Goshiki (if you don’t count in Tendou who sometimes gets phases in which he _tries_ to care for him, which always leads to disaster). Maybe it would be rude if he offered to help him. Maybe he …

Tendou watches his kouhai staring at their libero for some time without saying a single word.

It’s not like he wasn’t able to decipher the look on Goshiki’s face. He is the guess monster for a reason, alright (and he might have overheard Shirabu muttering to himself how he was sick of this _stupid gay mess_ and his _puke-inducing loving gazes_ , which lead to Tendou putting one and one together, because honestly? Goshiki wasn’t subtle, at all. He might’ve not noticed how he felt towards Hayato himself, but who was Tendou if not a caring senpai? He would help him, alright.)

“Tsu-to-mu~”, he sings, grinning widely as his kouhai turns towards him, face blushing, blinking as if he was completely lost in thought just seconds ago. “Do you know which day is coming up?”

“Uh.” Goshiki sucks his bottom lip between his teeth and scrunches his nose in thought. It was February. Monday the 10th, to be precise.

“Tues…day? The 11th?”, he asks, only to see Tendou laughing at him.

“That’s not wrong, Tsutomu-kun. But think a little harder.”

“Uh …” Goshiki starts sweating visibly. Obviously, he has no clue what Tendou is hinting at.

This boy sure is a mess. No wonder Shirabu is so fed up watching him pining for their libero.

“February 14th~, future ace. February 14th!” He whispers.

Goshiki blushes even more furiously.

“Valentine’s Day?!”

“No!” Tendou sighs, pauses. “I mean. Yes. But asides from that, it’s Hayato-kun’s birthday.”

“Oh!!”

Goshiki turns his head again, watching Yamagata intently. His fingers twitch, as if he wanted to raise his hand and touch his senpai.

Tendou snickers to himself. Their future ace seems to have a hard time keeping his hands to himself. Even going as far as touching Hayato-kun’s arm would be too much for him, Tendou guesses, but he bets it’s what Goshiki secretly dreams of.

(He’s a _guess monster_ , not a _knowing-it-all monster_ , even though he doesn’t want to hear that, for sure. Everything Goshiki can think of is helping his senpai. Also, he wants to know if he wishes for something special for his birthday. But Tendou makes up his own boy’s love manga in his head, not wanting to hear anything of it.)

Tendou watches his teammates and suddenly, a thought comes up out of nowhere. Well, alright, that’s a lie, it’s coming straight out of his mischievous mind, but he wouldn’t let _that_ slip through.

“Tsu-to-mu~,” he sings again, stretching the _u_ , making his Kouhai blushing even deeper. “I think I know some kind of present that would make your senpai reaaally happy!”

Goshiki’s attention snaps back to him.

“Really?? Please, tell me Tendou-senpai!!” he begs, scooting closer.

Tendou grins.

This is going to be fun.

*

“Oh, hello!” the saleslady chirps as he approaches the counter, putting a small object on top of it. Goshiki eyes the thing sceptically, yet determined, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“You chose something really cute there. Is it for your girlfriend?” she asks cheery, scanning the item and putting it aside. “You know tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, not White Day, do you?”

“Y-Yeah, I know!” He almost shouts.

Tsutomu hurries to pay and hopes his embarrassment isn’t too obvious.

It’s for Yamagata-senpai, not for any girl. It was Tendou-senpai who helped him come up with the idea, and Tsutomu, even though not fully convinced _he_ would be happy about such a gift, complied. Tendou knows Yamagata-senpai better than he does, being on the team with him for three years now. He _must_ be right about this.

“I – I know it’s Valentines Day. This, uh … this is for my senpai, he … I … uh …”

She blinks at him before giving him the softest kind of smile.

His whole face is burning up by now.

“Why, dear, this is so cute. Let me wrap this up for you, yes? I’m sure he’ll be happy about it.”

Goshiki can only nod at this. He shouldn’t be so embarrassed. To be frank, he doesn’t even know _why_ he is. There is nothing wrong with gifting his senpai something for his birthday, especially since it will be of great use – at least, that’s what Tendou explained to him.

Even though he is nervous and really wants to be swallowed whole by the earth, he can’t suppress a wonky smile making its way onto his face. Yamagata-senpai always supports him, no matter what. He wants to give him something back, something that shows he appreciates him.

(For a brief moment, his mind runs wild. He could add a letter or something. Telling Yamagata-senpai how much he cherished the warmth feeling of safety he emitted. Or thanking him for always cheering on him, for making him feel good enough despite making mistakes all the time. He could tell him how he _doesn’t know_ if being on the Volleyball Club without such a reliable, strong libero will be the same, and how he is going to miss him once he graduates in a few weeks. He could …)

“There you go, dear.”

The voice of the saleslady snaps him out of his thoughts. He blinks confused, taking the gift she wrapped up for him. He doesn’t even look at it, because suddenly, he feels like an idiot for thinking such things. Why would he write a _letter_ , of all things?

He bows too deep, nearly hitting his head on the counter.

“Thank you so much!!” He shouts, before dashing off and leaving the small boutique. He makes a mental note of never coming back, because surely, he just made everything a hundred times more embarrassing than it even was before.

He clutches at the gift, not looking at it, and puts it into the pocket of his jacket. Tomorrow, he will be gifting this to Yamagata-senpai, and hopefully, he’ll like it.

*

[Tendou-senpai, 20:56]: yooooo tsutomu-kun!! you found sth for hayato?

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 20:57]: Yes, Tendou-senpai!!! I followed your advice! I hope he will like it!!!!

[Tendou-senpai, 20:59]: well, well, u could show it to me if ur insecure ;)

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:03]: THAT’S A GREAT IDEA!!!!!

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:04]: Oh

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:05]: I actually can’t!!!!! It’s already wrapped!!!!!

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:07]: [PICTURE]

[Tendou-senpai, 21:09]: well, the wrapping paper sure is something. you put a lot of effort in this didn’t you tsutomu-kun~

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:13]: I didn’t wrap it, the saleslady did!!!! She was really nice, she said Yamagata-senpai would like his present!!!

[Tendou-senpai, 21:14]: those little hearts on it sure are cute ~

[Tendou-senpai, 21:16]: any idea when to give it to him ;)

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:17]: Aren’t we going to give him his presents all together????? Before practise, or right after???

[Tendou-senpai, 21:19]: don’t u think he’d be happier if his favourite kouhai were to give it to him in private

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:23]: Favourite …. Kouhai????????

[Tendou-senpai, 21:25]: of course~ tsutomu-kun! maybe u should ask him to meet u behind the gym or whatever and then give it to him, we don’t want him to be flustered in front of everyone, don’t we

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:27]: You think he would be flustered?????

[Tendou-senpai, 21:28]: of course, of course ~ just ask him to come behind the second gym during lunch break or so

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 21:30]: Behind the second gym during lunch break!!!! I will do that!!!!!

*

Goshiki is so excited to ask Yamagata-senpai to meet him during lunch break, that he forgets to wish him a happy birthday. He just fiddles with his phone, hoping Yamagata hadn’t lose his again.

He answers half an hour later.

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 6:12]: Yamagata-senpai!!!!! Would you meet me during lunch break behind the second gym????? It’s important!!!!

[Yamagata-senpai, 6:49]: Uh, yeah, I can do that. Is everything alright? If it’s urgent, we can meet up earlier. Are you ok?

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 6:50]: No, lunch break is perfectly fine!!!!! Thank you, Yamagata-senpai!!!

[Yamagata-senpai, 6:59]: Alright, alright :) Take care, Tsutomu. Till later then.

[Future Ace Tsutomu, 7:00]: Till later, Yamagata-senpai!!!

*

There is one thing Tendou refrained from telling Goshiki when he suggested he’d meet up with Hayato behind the second gym.

It’s basically the place he’s staring at throughout the whole afternoon while sitting in class. It’s the perfect view. And, once the bell rings for lunch time, he opens the window, settles comfortably in his chair and looks out for his kouhai.

He doesn’t have any ill intentions. He just wants to help his kouhai realising what he’s actually feeling for their libero. It can’t be that hard, can it?

He smiles when he spots Tsutomu jogging to their meeting place.

Even from afar, he can see how nervous the kid is.

 _Breathe, Tsutomu-kun~_ , he thinks. _You can do this, future ace._

*

Goshiki’s heart is pounding so hard, he feels like he is about to faint. There’s no need to, he tells himself. It’s just his senpai. It’s his birthday and he’ll like to be gifted presents. Sure thing, because everyone likes presents.

It’s just … Goshiki feels like this is different. Maybe Tendou-senpai was wrong. He should have waited till practise. It is easier with the other ones around, even if Shirabu might have said something mean, again, or even if Tendou have laughed at him for being nervous. Right now, it feels like this would have been a thousand times better than waiting here on his own.

The whole day had been stressing him out, with all those excited girls and their chocolate and all the giggles around him. He even found some chocolate in his locker, which surprised him so much that he just closed it again and decided to deal with that later.

(Not to lie, of course he’s flattered, but he needs to focus on something else. _Someone_ else, namely Yamagata Hayato-senpai. He can’t divide his attention right now.)

It feels like time won’t pass by. It’s only five minutes past the beginning of lunch break until he hears footsteps closing in on him, but for him, it felt like an eternity.

Goshiki’s heart skips a beat as soon as he sees Yamagata-senpai walking into his direction. Goshiki can’t help but admire his form. His broad shoulders never slump, his step never wavers, and even though he keeps his hands in the pockets of his pants, he doesn’t look sloppy, at all.

“Yo, Tsutomu!” his senpai calls, sporting a grin as he approaches him.

A sudden wave of nervousness washes over him. His heart is beating so loud in his chest that he can’t even feel how his face heats up.

 _Oh God_ , he thinks, _this was a mistake. Is it too late to run away? It is. He saw me. I am going to die, right on spot._

“Y-Yamagata-senpai!” he squeaks. “Uh, oh, thank you for coming! I mean … happy … happy birthday! And, uh, hello!”

Hayato halts a few steps in front of him, confusion mixed with something he can’t quite decipher on his face. His senpai opens his mouth just to close it shortly after without saying a word. The hand he buried in the pocket of his pants now darts to the back of his neck. He seems just as confused as Goshiki.

“You remembered?” he asks, surprise clear in his voice. His grin now seems kind of lopsided. It looks just as good as the confident grin, Tsutomu muses. Or the angry grin he shows during a hard game. Or the soft grin he gives him when he’s being proud of Tsutomu. Or the –

“Yes, sir!!” he practically shouts. “I mean – Tendou-senpai reminded me, but still!”

At this, Hayato chuckles. He bites his lip, his gaze wandering around. “Yeah, well … Thanks, Tsutomu. And sorry for being late. I, ah … there was someone else who wanted to talk to me, first. I tried to make it quick.”

“Oh?” Goshiki blinks a few times. “Did someone else of the team already gave their presents to you?”

“Huh? No, it, uh … it was a classmate of mine. She wanted to give me something, since it’s Valentine’s Day, you know.”

“Valentine’s Day, yes, that makes sense!!!”

“Does it?” Hayato chuckles, but he seems somewhat uncomfortable. “Her confession came out of nowhere, at least that is what it felt like for me.”

Goshiki perks up, his eyes blown wide. He thought Yamagata-senpai had been gifted some chocolate, too. But a girl confessing to him? The thought feels … uneasy.

The birthday gift he kept in the pocket of his blazer suddenly feels heavy.

“She confessed?”

“Well – yeah, I don’t know …”

“So, you have a girlfriend now?? Yamagata-senpai, that’s … that’s … uh, great!” he croaks. It’s obvious that this is not what he’s really thinking, but he can’t help it. Goshiki doesn’t understand why it feels so wrong to him. He … doesn’t want that. For whatever reason.

Hayato huffs out a laugh.

“No, Tsutomu, I turned her down. I … I don’t reciprocate her feelings.”

“Oh!!! Okay!”

Silence spreads between them. While Goshiki tries to muster up the courage to hand over his birthday gift, Hayato seems distracted by his own thoughts. Neither of them speaks a word for some time.

[Somewhere above, Tendou Satori is rapidly losing hair due to tearing it in frustration. He can’t believe that they’re both so awkward. He had been hoping for something to laugh at and tease them about because after all, he would have been the only one knowing of this sweet little meeting behind the gym. Now, the only thing he gets from this set up, is _pain_. _Why_ can’t they just talk to each other? Shirabu sure won’t survive another month of pining, and Tendou sure as hell doesn’t see any other good opportunity to get them to even _think_ about them being possibly romantic interests.]

“So …” Hayato is the first who finds his voice. “All you wanted to say was happy birthday? That’s sweet, Tsutomu.”

Goshiki’s racing mind snaps back to the present. He looks at Hayato, only to find his senpai staring back at him. They’re eyes lock. One second. Two. Three. Heat works its way up to Goshiki’s cheeks. He opens his mouth, unable to tear his gaze away.

“I … I wanted to …” he rasps, blushing furiously, “… to … give you something …”

He takes a deep breath and grabs the small gift from his pocket. In an attempt to be courageous, he puts it out and holds it towards Hayato.

“Happy birthday, Yamagata-senpai!! I hope you like it!!!”

It’s like time stands still for a few seconds. There are only Goshiki’s outstretched arms. The gift he grasps so tight in his hands. And Yamagata-senpai, who looks at him wide-eyed.

[Hayato’s ears are burning bright pink, but Goshiki can’t see this, since he bowed so deep, he faces the ground, literally. Tendou wants to scream. Or get some diabetes medicine, because this is too cute for him to handle.]

Yamagata-senpais hands are careful, as they take the present out of his.

“Tsutomu,” he says slowly while eyeing the gift. “This is … really cute. But you didn’t have to gift me something!”

“I wanted to!!” he explains, face still towards the ground. He hears his senpai sighing. Then, there’s a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, straighten your back, Tsutomu,” he says with a voice softer and equally rougher than ever heard. It makes Goshiki’s heart pounding even faster.

He has no idea why this makes him so nervous. It’s ridiculous.

He takes a deep breath before facing Yamagata again.

Goshiki’s taller, yet those few centimetres mean nothing as his senpai scoots even closer and tugs him in for a short, warm hug. Suddenly, he feels small and weak and as if on the verge of fainting.

“Thank you, Tsutomu. I appreciate it a lot.”

He stays like this only for a brief moment before moving away, eyeing the present again. Hayato seems more like his usual self now, even though his ears and cheeks _really_ are somewhat pink. It looks cute.

“I – I hope this can be of use!!” Goshiki almost-shouts.

“I bet it is. Let’s see, then …” Hayato carefully opens the ribbon, tugging the crème coloured gift wrap with its pink hearts on it, open. The thing he takes out leaves him speechless.

Goshiki can’t help but stare. He spent one hour on choosing a gift – he really hopes Yamagata-senpai likes it.

“This … this is … uh …”

“A phone strap!! As to help you when you lose your smart phone again!” Goshiki explains breathily. “Like, you will recognise its colour when it’s buried in your sports bag. Tendou-senpai said you liked cats and cute things, so I thought this might be fitting!!”

Hayato stares at the phone strap without saying a word.

It’s a plush cat with pink fur, neon coloured paws, big shiny eyes and a pink ribbon around its neck.

[ _Hideou_ s, Tendou would say, if he were able to actually _see_ the thing. But he can’t. All he can do is squint his eyes and watch them even more intently. To think Hayato even _hugged_ Goshiki is more than he expected. He hopes the kid isn’t about to faint or something.]

“Wow.” Hayato finally says. His thumb strokes over the soft fur of the strap. “It’s really cute, Tsutomu. Did you pick this by yourself?”

“Yes! Do you like it?” Goshiki whispers nervously. He watches every move Yamagata-senpai makes. Watches his face, as he bites his lower lip as if to hide a smile. Watches him look up, locking their gazes. _Winking_.

“Yes. Thank you so much, Tsutomu. I will put it on my phone right now and –“

“I like you a lot, Yamagata-senpai!!”

[Tendou’s eyes grow wide. Goshiki shouted loud enough for him to hear. Suddenly, he shoots up, stepping closer to the window. He wishes for a pair of binoculars. Did Tsutomu-kun really just say that?]

“You …”

“I admire you so much, you know!” Goshiki doesn’t let Hayato say a word. He stares at his feet, not noticing the bright blush on his senpai’s face.

“It’s like, you’re the best libero there to exist! I know I’m a nuisance sometimes, yet you’re always supporting me. I feel safe when I know you’re right behind me on court!! This is the best feeling, really. I want to grow stronger and better, as to make you a proud senpai! You’re a dear friend to me, Yamagata-senpai!!”

It’s silent after he let his feelings run wild. Goshiki’s heart pounds like crazy, while Hayato doesn’t say a single word.

Maybe … maybe he overstepped his boundaries? After all, he didn’t plan on saying all those things. Maybe he should have just written a letter. That way, he would have been able to make sure to not say anything weird. God. Now would be the right time for the earth to swallow him whole …

“I like you, too.” Yamagata-senpai finally says. “I like to watch you making progress. I like how you light up the room with your carefree, funny attitude. I like how everyone just knows you’re going to be a great ace for our team once we third years graduate. Please keep being like this, Tsutomu.”

“Oh.”

Goshiki really did not expect him to say something like this. He hesitantly lifts his gaze.

Yamagata-senpai give him his trademark grin, even though his blush is all too obvious.

“You’re a great friend, Tsutomu! I bet I’ll not lose my phone, ever again.”

With that, he fumbles out his smart phone and puts the strap on it. It’s almost as big as the phone itself, but Hayato shake sit lightly, making the pink plush cat bobbing up and down.

“It’s sooo cute! Really, thank you, Tsutomu! I’ll take good care if it, I promise!”

[Somewhere above, Tendou feels his soul leaving his human shell. Witnessing such a good opportunity go to waste is too much for him. They literally confessed to each other. As for Tsutomu, he knows he has a crush on Hayato, sure thing (though he _still_ muses his kouhai has no idea that his feelings are of romantic nature, silly little bean). But Hayato reciprocating those feelings, even _telling_ Tsutomu, just to say they’re _friends_ right after? Tendou would've never thought he is _that_ dumb. He has enough. Let them figure it out on their own or whatever. There’s nothing else he can do for those two idiots.]

*

It’s not like Tendou has to do something, in the first place.

Yet, his efforts of getting them into a situation worthy of Valentine’s Day helped them getting closer to each other.

Like.

A lot.

More often than not, there’s a hand on Goshiki whenever he hits a really good toss. Hayato pats his head, his neck, his back. He often bumps his shoulder into Goshiki’s, watching his kouhai’s face getting beet-red (it’s risky doing so in their locker room while wearing nothing but briefs; Tsutomu has every right to blush furiously).

Their closeness screams _in love!!,_ and at this point, everyone noticed, too, except for themselves, and maybe Ushijima. Shirabu’s suffering got even worse, but it can’t be helped.

Neither of them makes a move.

*

[Guess Monster, 19:50]: reon. reon i can’t let this happen. WE can’t let this happen. these fucking idiots need to get their shit together

[Best Boyo Reon, 19:55]: Do you mean Hayato and Tsutomu?

[Guess Monster, 19:56]: OF COURSE I DO

[Guess Monster, 19:56]: tomorrow’s our graduation ceremony

[Guess Monster, 19:57]: we’ll be moving out of the dorms this weekend

[Guess Monster, 19:57]: they’ll part ways without knowing they love each other I CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN

[Guess Monster, 19:58]: IT PAINS ME PHYSICALLY

[Best Boyo Reon, 20:03]: Now you sound like Shirabu. Meaning the pain part, not the romantic one. What do you have in mind?

[Guess Monster, 20:06]: idk … really, idk

[Guess Monster, 20:06]: can’t u just … idk talk to him ??? hayato will listen to u !!!

[Best Boyo Reon, 20:08]: Satori, he will figure this out himself. Don’t worry.

[Guess Monster, 20:09]: but I DO WORRY. DO SOMETHING, REON, I BEG U

[Guess Monster, 20:15]: reon?

[Guess Monster, 20:27]: R E O N ~ ??????

[Best Boyo Reon, 20:30]: He says don’t worry. And he begs you to not interfere. He got this (his words).

*

Hayato really got this.

He got sweaty hands, alright.

And he got a stomach-ache, because suddenly, everything is just happening so fast. Their graduation ceremony is over in a blink (even though it lasted for a few hours).

He doesn’t notice how bad his feet ache, or how tired he is. All he can do is think of what to say later, when he and Goshiki meet up behind the second gym. He shot him a text this morning, mirroring the one he sent him on his birthday earlier this year.

[Yamagata Hayato, 6:12]: Goshiki-kun!!!!! Would you meet me during lunch break behind the second gym????? It’s important!!!!

Goshiki’s answer wasn’t any less excited, if his over-use of exclamation marks was an indicator.

_He got this._

Hayato excuses himself from his family and friends. There’s something he needs to do.

Reon, whom he instructed as to take care of Satori, does as he promised and holds him captured, as to not follow his friend. He wants this to be just their moment, no matter what the outcome might be.

*

“Yamagata-senpai!!” Tsutomu calls as soon as he arrives behind the second gym. His kouhai is early, as always. Hayato can’t help but smile.

“Tsutomu, hey. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course!! Anything for you, Yamagata-senpai!” Even though he gives Hayato his usual half-shout, it feels like something is off.

His eyes are puffy, as if he had cried earlier, Hayato realises.

“Tsutomu?” he asks, scooting closer. He can see Goshiki’s lips trembling. Seeing that hurts more than he would have imagined. “Hey, Tsutomu-kun, what’s up?”

Hayato lifts his hands and softly cups Goshiki’s face, as if to try and hold him together. Dumb idea, for it only makes him lose his composure faster.

“I – I don’t want you to leave.” Suddenly, Goshiki’s shedding big, hot tears.

“I don’t want Yamagata-senpai to graduate and leave. I can’t imagine our team with-without you right behind me!!” he cries. “You always make me feel so safe, I don’t want to miss … miss _that_ …”

Goshiki hiccups and sniffles.

“Aw, c’mere, you big baby.” Hayato laughs.

He can’t help it. This is the first time, ever, that seeing Goshiki cry makes him happy. Because he doesn’t want Hayato to leave him. That’s something to work with.

He lets go of Goshiki’s puffy cheeks, pulling him into a tight hug instead while cooing sweet nothings. He’s patting his hair, stroking his shivering back, until Goshiki calms down a little.

“Listen, Tsutomu, it will be alright. I won’t leave you if you don’t want to. I mean, sure …”, he loosens his grip, letting go of his kouhai to look him in his face, “I can’t attend this school anymore, since I aced my exams, but there’s more than school, you know.”

“More than school?” Goshiki repeats. “You …” It’s like he suddenly realises how close they are. His face, already red from crying, grows even hotter than before.

Hayato bites his lip, noticing the uneasy feeling that creeps into Goshiki’s facial features – he’s never been good at hiding his true emotions. He takes a step back and smiles a – at least he hopes so – reassuring smile.

“It’s alright, you know. There’s something I wanted to tell you. I … I actually already did, but I don’t think you understood what I said back then.”

“What do you mean?” Goshiki asks breathily.

“Do you remember my birthday?”, Hayato asks. He fingers on his tie, losing its knot a bit. He wants to be able to breathe freely when he does this. After all, he could gain or lose everything. But the outcome doesn’t matter.

It’s more important to at least try to reach for happiness, instead of just dreaming about it without ever making a move.

“Yes. I gifted you that phone strap.” Goshiki nods, seemingly not understanding what Hayato was hinting at.

His smile gets a bit wonky, as he shrugs.

“Yeah, that. Well, I … I actually thought you were going to confess, you know. Since it was Valentine’s Day.”

“To … _confess_?!” Now Goshiki’s shrieking high-pitched. His face turns beet-red.

Hayato chuckles nervously.

“Yeah, actually … It seemed like it. You were super nervous, and the gift was … I don’t know. I would’ve deemed it more of a Valentine’s Day present, than a birthday gift. And when you said you liked me, I – I was really happy, you know.”

Tsutomu’s mouth opens, forming a small _o_. He blinks a few times, unable to say something.

Now, it doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no turning back. And it’s alright, really.

Hayato even _smiles_ , as he continues: “But then you said I was a good friend, and I realised you meant it not in a romantic way. Do you remember what I said, then? I said I liked you back. And I tried to brush it off by adding cheesy friendship stuff – which was true, every word of it, don’t get me wrong – but … I actually meant it the romantic way.”

“You meant it … in a romantic way?” Goshiki sounds like a broken record, but Hayato understands, somehow. Maybe he doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, maybe he never even thought of something like that. Of course, he’d be confused, then.

“Yes. As in: I wanted to kiss you, back then, but I didn’t.”

“Oh.” Goshiki blinks, trying to wrap his head around what Hayato just said.

Maybe he had moved to fast. Maybe he should have hinted at it more. Hayato’s not sure.

“Do you … uh … want to, uhm … k-k-kiss m-me … now …?”

“Huh?”

Now it’s Hayato’s turn to stare at his kouhai wide-eyed.

Goshiki’s blushing face, confused some moments ago, looks determined now. His chest is moving up and down way too fast. His heart might beat just as fast as Hayato’s.

“Do you … do you want to … kiss me, Yamagata-senpai?”

Hayato gulps. Sucking his lower lip between his teeth. Letting it go. Gulping again.

Suddenly, his throat is terribly dry.

“I … yes. Yes, I would … want to.”

Goshiki’s slender build is shaking visibly, before he closes his eyes.

“Then, do it.”

It takes him a few seconds, because he just can’t stop staring at Tsutomu. At his small, wrinkled nose, his trembling lips, his flushed cheeks. Even his raven hair, now somewhat messy because of the gentle spring winds brushing through it.

Hayato’s heart yearns for this soft, strong, loud, gentle boy.

He takes a step closer.

And again, one step closer.

His breath is ghosting over Goshiki’s lips. He can feel the other one opening his mouth as if to say something, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leans forward, much to Hayato’s surprise.

Suddenly, there are warm lips pressing onto his. He sighs in surprise, but his body reacts faster than his mind.

Before he can think about it, his arms cling around Tsutomu’s waist, pulling him closer. They stumble a little, but neither of them ends the kiss.

It’s sloppy, and wet, and clumsy, and all around, it’s just perfectly imperfect.

It’s everything Hayato could have wished for.

“I like you, Tsutomu”, he croaks as he pulls away, just a few centimetres. “I light you a lot, romantically. Like, a damn lot. Lots of lot. Damn, I …”

Goshiki just presses his lips on Hayato’s, again. His face is incredibly flushed.

“Yamagata-senpai, I –“

Sighing, he interrupts: “When will you ever start calling me Hayato, you doof …”

“H-H-Ha… Haya… Hay … Ugh I …”

Hayato laughs airily and plants a kiss on the edge of Tsutomu’s mouth. He stills at this, taking a deep breath.

“Ha…yato-senpai, I … I like you a lot and … I think I understand that it’s in a romantic way, now?”

“You _think_?”

“I mean … yes?”

For a brief second, Hayato blinks at him, before barking out a laugh. He shakes his head, grinning.

“It’s okay, Tsutomu. It’s okay. You take your time, alright? There’s no pressure. We have plenty of time.”

“Hayato-senpai …” Goshiki starts trembling again, his body quivering, his eyes getting wet. “I don’t want you to leave, I really don’t –“

“I won’t leave you, dummy.” Reassuringly, he leans his head against Tsutomu’s. “It’s alright. Don’t worry. I don’t want to miss you in my life, either, you know. I want …”

Before he can finish his sappy retort, a loud noise erupts from not so far away.

Tsutomu and he let go of each other, taking a few steps back, both blushing furiously. Someone witnessed, someone just saw, they were going to …

… cheer on them?

From afar, Hayato can see their teammates, screaming joyfully, clapping and whistling. Even Ushijima is clapping lowly, even though his face is as unmoved as ever.

“Finally!”, Satori screeches, “you two idiots nearly cost me ten years of my life!!”

“Reon! Damn, you promised to keep him away!”, Hayato shouts back, but he’s not really mad at them. He looks at Goshiki, grinning. His kouhai gulps before giving in and laughing.

Blindly, he looks out for Hayato’s hand, linking their fingers and holding onto him.

They were going to be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> roses are red  
> violets are blue  
> Yamagata Hayato  
> I love you ~ uwu <3


End file.
